The New York African Burial Ground is where about 15,000 free and enslaved African-Americans were buried between approximately 1690 and 1794. The 6.6 acre plot is located in Lower Manhattan, on Broadway. At the time it was outside of the settlement area of New York, then called New Amsterdam. As the years passed and the city expanded the history of this site was forgotten until 1991 when it was rediscovered during the planned construction of a building. The site is now a designated New York City Historic District, a National Monument and a National Historic Landmark.
Visitors to the site today can learn about the contribution that free and enslaved African-Americans made to the development and history of Lower Manhattan. The site has an indoor visitor center and outdoor area. The outdoor area is closed during the winter in severe weather.
In the interactive visitor center on the ground floor of the Ted Weiss Building, there is commemorative art work on display; there are exhibition areas highlighting the site’s history and the history of African-Americans in New York; a 4D theatre and a bookstore. The outdoor memorial, designed by Rodney Leon, sheds light on the history of the site. There is a granite Wall of Remembrance inscribed with a chronological record of historic events connected with the burial ground. The site is educational, culturally important and emotionally charged.
